Fellows in Focus: May 2025

Updates concerning Sciana Fellows in May 2025

Oonagh Smyth helps launch Skills for Care's Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC-WRES) 2024 report

Announcing the launch of Skills for Care's Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC-WRES) 2024 report, Oonagh Smyth (Cohort 7) emphasised the importance of the SC-WRES programme in driving change.

The SC-WRES is an improvement programme designed to support social care organisations in England to benchmark, reflect on and improve outcomes in race equity for their workforce.

Oonagh, CEO of Skills for Care, said, "The social care workforce is one of the most ethnically diverse in England, yet we still see such poor representation in leadership roles and in higher pay bands, as is highlighted by this latest SC-WRES report. The SC-WRES programme is a crucial step towards enabling us to address these issues and build truly equitable workplaces.”

Rudolf Blankart co-organises fourth day of Indo-Swiss AMR Innovation Dialogue 2025

At the beginning of May, Rudolf Blankart (Cohort 5) and Stephen Leib, director of the Institute for Infectious Diseases at the University of Bern, organised an engaging day of the Indo-Swiss AMR Innovation Dialogue. 

The fourth day of the dialogue, initiated by Swissnex India, the University of Zurich, and Université de Genève, featured discussions on surveillance and policy, concluding with a site visit to the translational ecosystem of sitem-insel.

Among the key speakers was Ambassador Jacques Ducrest, Head of the International Relations Division at the State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation (SERI), who highlighted Switzerland's commitment to international scientific cooperation on antimicrobial resistance.

Helen Crimlisk supports publication of "Health Inequalities Briefing Pack"

The Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Center for Public Mental Health have published a "Health Inequalities Briefing Pack" designed to provide quick guides to public mental health and health inequalities.

This publication, supported by Helen Crimlisk (Cohort 5), is for people working within integrated care boards, primary care, and public health, as well as clinical staff and leaders in mental health settings.

This piece of work was led by Jaimee Wylam, one of Helen's former trainees. It also received additional support from staff at Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust.

View Helen's LinkedIn post to see a full list of contributors, and download the publication here.

Creating healthier cities and finding a shared language to move forward

In an interview with the Sciana Network, Sonja Kahlmeier (Cohort 6) reflects on her research, overcoming challenges, and learning from different people’s realities.

CQC appoints Prof Bola Owolabi as chief inspector of primary and community services

Congratulations to Bola Owolabi (Cohort 7), who has been appointed the Care Quality Commission's (CQC's) new chief inspector of primary and community services.

She will lead on CQC's regulation of some of the most frequently used parts of the health and care system – including general practice and dentistry.

Bola will join CQC in the summer. She will combine her role with her work as a practising GP in the Midlands.

Sven Streit presents at 100th EGPRN Meeting in Gothenburg

At the 100th EGPRN Meeting in Gothenburg, Sven Streit (Cohort 5) and colleagues presented findings from the PRACTITIONER Study—a collaborative effort involving 602 GPs from 20 countries—exploring how primary care teams across Europe manage long-term treatment decisions after myocardial infarction.

Beyond beta-blockers, the study reflects broader questions about what optimal, patient-centred care looks like in chronic disease management. Building this research network in recent years has laid the groundwork for future studies that not only inform clinical practice but also support evidence-based policymaking across borders.

Shera Chok speaks at Research and Development Forum and celebrates the graduation of the Shuri Network's fourth cohort

Earlier this month, Shera Chok (Cohort 2) was a keynote speaker at the Research and Development Forum, where she joined a discussion on "The government mission to improve health and 10 year plan to reform the health system."

Shera said, "I shared how creating a learning health system connecting clinicians, researchers, public health teams, commissioners, and digital leaders in north-east London has improved outcomes and patient experience, reduced cost and supported teams in community and primary care."  

Meanwhile, Shera, NHS England, and the Shuri Network also recently celebrated the graduation of the Network's fourth cohort of Digital Fellows. This cohort comprises 77 women from the health and social care sector who are digital innovators transforming care for patients and the public through technology. The event was hosted by KPMG in London and attended by NHS England leaders, including Ming Tang, Sonia Patel, Navina Evans, and Helen Balsdon.

Leading a team in times of change: connecting visions with reality

In an interview with the Sciana Network, Thorsten Langer (Cohort 4) discusses his work at the Social Paediatric Centre at the University Children's Hospital Freiburg and his thoughts on leadership